An elementary school teacher struggles to make ends meet.
REUTERS/Alkis Konstantinidis
After six years in college working towards a teaching degree and a passion for improving the lives of the students she teaches, elementary school teacher Rachel Wiley is drowning in student loan debt and is barely able to meet her monthly bills.

I am lucky compared to some. I make enough that I was able to buy my own home. I can afford groceries each week. I have running water, electricity, and both my husband and I have working (ish) vehicles. We make it. But just barely. Each month, as I sit down to budget, I am discouraged. I feel as though I have failed in some ways."

The financial disparity between the teaching profession and other similar jobs in the US is well documented. The gap between public teachers and other public officials ballooned to the largest point ever in 2015, according to report from the Economic Policy Institute. And compared to all college goers, teachers made 17% less than other similarly educated workers.